Uichico to sit on Meralco bench

MANILA, Philippines - Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio said yesterday the addition of Jong Uichico to the team as consultant is a big boost to the Bolts and confirmed the new recruit will sit on the bench when the next PBA conference starts Feb. 10.

“Jong’s read of the game is fantastic,” said Gregorio. “He gives our team an entirely different perspective. He’s definitely a welcome addition to our staff. Jong’s a good man so that’s a good starting point. Combining it with his championship experience and understanding of the game really makes him an asset to what we are trying to accomplish. After I formally introduced him to the team, everyone welcomed him with open arms. All along, I thought that I had adequate knowledge of the game but after hearing his thoughts about strategies, offensive and defensive preparations, I realized that I still have a long way to go.”

Gregorio said Uichico’s presence brings immediate stability to the team. “Jong creates a different perspective in the way we are rebuilding this young franchise,” continued Gregorio. “I am re-educated every time I talk to him. The best part about him is that he is willing to share everything that he knows to improve our chances of winning. Fellow coaches Ronnie (Magsanoc), Boyet (Fernandez), Pat (Fran), Xavy (Nunag) and Alton (Lister) are all excited about his arrival.”

Gregorio said with Uichico, the coaching staff now has 12 championships together. “That’s eight from Jong, three from me and one from Boyet,” he said. “But in basketball, it’s important to have great player talent, too. So hopefully, I can get really talented players to make us competitive.”

Gregorio’s hopes for a breakthrough in the Commissioner’s Cup hinge on import Jelani McCoy, a 6-10 former UCLA center with eight seasons of NBA experience playing for Seattle, the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto, Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver. The other day, McCoy led Meralco to a 78-65 win over Barangay Ginebra in a practice game.

“Jelani is slowly getting in good game shape,” said Gregorio. “He held his ground against (Chris) Alexander. He’s a good finisher around the basket and a good post defender. I hope he’ll be a good fit for the team. I also hopes he gets excited and motivated by the media hype that is accorded to him. He’s a legit talent with a lot of juice left in his system. The challenge is to transform it into wins for Meralco.”

Uichico said he purposely went early to the Xavier Gym for the practice game against Ginebra to chat with his former team’s coaches and players.

Gregorio recently flew to the US to scout for imports and watched McCoy in a closed-door tryout. He also attended the NBA D-League showcase in Reno. “The showcase was a great experience although the talent pool is rich in the guard position and not much in the center spot,” he said. “I saw coach Tim (Cone) and coach Siot (Tanquingcen) in Reno and we spent time discussing the talents available for the third conference like Andre Emmett, Elijah Millsap, Paul Harris and Ricky Davis. The big guys who were impressive were Chris Daniels, Jared Famous and Jeff Foote. However, the $45,000 buy-out is quite expensive. Anyway, it was still a great venue to hunt for imports for future reference.”

In other news, Gregorio said guard Paul Artadi, who was acquired in a trade with Barako Bull for Chico Lanete, began practicing with the Bolts the other day but Sol Mercado won’t be available until the second or third week next month after undergoing a minor procedure in his knee.

In the recent practice game against Ginebra, Gregorio said Chris Ross was in excellent form as point guard and initiated the fastbreak game for Mac-Mac Cardona to finish.

Meralco hasn’t qualified for the semifinals in four conferences since joining the PBA two years ago. The Bolts posted an overall record of 13-20 last season and an 8-7 mark before bowing out of contention in the ongoing Philippine Cup.